Visiting Hawaii last week was like a dream come true. I'll be the first to admit that my form of relaxation is not what most people think of as relaxation. For me, moving, exploring, and always having something to do I how I enjoy life. Many people imagine going to a beach resort and hanging out for a week, this sounds like hell to me. That's why the Caribbean is not very alluring to me, most people just want to hang on the beach, but I'd rather explore a city and hit as many landmarks as I can.

Since I am a little different in this way, Hawaii was always something that I wasn't sure I would enjoy. Often people speak of the beaches and relaxation in Hawaii. Hearing this, I wondered if I would enjoy it, but it's a state I had not yet been to and seemed like a great place to visit at least once.

Once I was able to explore Kona, I'd say this is a place where even I fell in love with. Lots to do, we left some much unexplored, and it will certainly mean a revisit sometime in the future. One place really stood out in my mind as a must see place to visit in the world. Pololu Valley is situated at the north end of the Big Island. When looking for places to visit, this struck me as a must see. Viewing pictures of the area, it comes across as one of those surreal places that exist in photos but seem so amazing that they almost seem to good to actually exist. Let me tell you this did not disappoint.

Visiting Pololu Valley is something you should probably come a little prepared for, in the way of footwear. I brought my hiking shoes, and glad I did. This area of the island see a lot of rain and is actually considered a rain forest. As such, it was raining when we visited. Hiking down into the valley gives some absolutely incredible views. The hike down is about 1 mile, and when it's raining, it is a muddy hike. One the edge of cliffs, I can't believe people were attempting this hike in flip flops, I would highly advise against this.

Once you reach the bottom, you are greeted by a huge tidal pond, almost a lake. Black sand beaches that a remote with only a handful of people hiking to and past. This is a place I'd like to come revisit as the trail continued to a park area that was another 2 miles beyond the valley floor.

Just enjoy some of the photos I took of the area and know, I chose this as the place to propose to my girlfriend. She said yes, and really I don't know that I could have chosen a better location to make this happen. So on another note, I'm no engaged, and what a beautiful backdrop to such an amazing occasion.